Dells lake reviving after $10M fix

April 16, 2009

Shortly after lunchtime Thursday on the shores of the Wisconsin Dells' Lake Delton, the owner of The Original Wisconsin Ducks, Dan Gavinski, excitedly flagged down the next approaching amphibious "duck" full of tourists. The driver grinned and made a sharp left, paused at the water's edge, then plunged in.

Most years, it would be just another sign of spring and the first stirrings of Wisconsin's tourist industry.

This year, it is a sign of recovery.

In the blink of an eye on June 9, 2008, an embankment on the man-made lake gave way in torrential summer rains, causing the lake to drain into the Wisconsin River below. For six months, the state of Wisconsin worked at breakneck speed to repair the breach before this year's tourist season.

For the last two weeks, businesses along the shores and the locals who make their livelihood from tourist visitors have watched the lakewaters climb as the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources restores the lake, an important economic engine in Wisconsin's $13 billion tourism industry.

"As the water started to come up and cover the dry bottom, you could see the morale in this community going up," said Tom Diehl, co-owner of the Tommy Bartlett Ski Show on Lake Delton and a trustee for the Village of Lake Delton who helped work with state and federal officials to conduct the repairs. "Seeing is believing."

Since the beginning of April, Lake Delton has climbed one foot every two days, followed by a day of careful monitoring of the millions of dollars in repairs and improvements.

Completely refilling the lake to an average depth of 13 feet will take until next week, costing the state $10 million from start to finish.

The state's investment had already started paying off Thursday, when 22-year-old University of Wisconsin-Baraboo student Sean Sweeney turned the wheel of his Wisconsin Duck toward the waiting shoreline. Behind him, 21 people had paid to ride the duck--$21.70 for adults, $11.50 for kids.

The ducks had been bypassing Lake Delton since last summer. None of those aboard Sweeney's duck knew they'd be the first into the refilled lake--not even Sweeney--until they saw Gavinski and his co-manager Matt Oeftger waving like crazy from the water-level gauge at the rebuilt dam.

They quickly got in the spirit, said Sweeney.

"It was a 'whoo-hoo!' clapping sort of thing," Sweeney said in a cell phone interview Thursday afternoon. "It's still just awesome to see a lake there."

For weeks, Sweeney, Gavinski and the half-dozen other duck drivers had been watching the water crawl up. As they prepared a new script and costumes for the season, the first arrivals of the Tommy Barlett show's water-skiers had been watching the lake from their stage. They'll take to the water next week and start shows May 22, Diehl said.

Sweeney said he saw the water skiers and others watching as he piloted his duck through the water Thursday.

"Oh my gosh, it's like welcoming an old friend back," said Melanie Platt-Gibson, marketing director for the Wisconsin Dells Visitors and Convention Bureau. "When we saw that first duck hit the lake and splash in? Our lake is back."